Rare earths power solar panels, electrical vehicles, wind turbines, smartphones, medical devices and more, enabling the technologies we rely on every day.
Only about 1 % of REEs are recycled; the remaining supply comes from mining with ethical, geopolitical, and economic consequences. Current recycling approaches remain inefficient and costly.
Sustainable alternatives are urgently needed.
Red mud is the alkaline residue from refining bauxite into alumina. Around 180 million tonnes are produced every year, with billions already stockpiled in vast containment ponds.
Its high alkalinity and trace metals threaten surrounding ecosystems and communities. Storage areas require constant monitoring to prevent leaks and failures.
Alongside iron and alumina, red mud contains rare earth elements—enough to justify recovery as a secondary resource when efficient technologies are deployed.
Red mud is both a persistent environmental hazard and a reservoir of valuable elements. Addressing its legacy requires solutions that are safe, scalable, and economically viable.
By reframing red mud as a resource, we can mitigate risk, recover critical materials, and close the loop for rare-earth supply chains.
Learn more about red mud on our Red Mud Page.
To extract REEs from the complex matrix of red mud, we harness microalgae’s inherent capacity to bioaccumulate critical minerals.
Engineered to express a high-affinity REE-binding peptide, our microalgae dramatically increase their metal-capturing capacity while remaining adaptable to variable waste streams.
This biological upgrade enables selective concentration of valuable metals without harsh chemicals, paving the way for cleaner, more sustainable recovery.
Learn more about our innovative approach on the Description Page
We combine engineered algae with a modular bioreactor to capture, concentrate, and
recover rare earth elements from red mud.
We designed and built a modular bioreactor for cultivating microalgae. Learn more about our bioreactor design on our Hardware Page!
Add momentum to the growing community of REE recycling technologies with a complementary, biology-enabled route.
Raise awareness about the scale and risks of red mud, showing how value can be found in waste through responsible recovery.
Propose a financially viable, lower-impact pathway for the aluminium industry to repurpose bauxite tailings on site.
Our project, TERRA, makes rare-earth recovery cleaner, affordable, and sustainable.